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By Ray Hickson

One hundred city winners in a season – it’s a milestone Bjorn Baker never really thought possible but he says he’s going to give it his best shot now he’s already three quarters of the way there.

Trainer Bjorn Baker (Pic: Bradley Photos).

It's been a big year for Baker who trained 46 metro winners to be fifth in 2023/24 – 102 behind Chris Waller’s tally - as he heads to Gosford on Saturday, with a number of chances, sitting comfortably in second place on 75 and only 41 behind Sydney’s champion trainer.

Unseating Waller is out of his reach and unrealistic but Baker said as tough as it will be 100 is not impossible with around 25 city meetings left this season.

“I’ve actually thought about it, I don’t think I can get 100 city winners but I’ll have a crack,’’ Baker said.

“I have a few nice horses coming back particularly in June and July, it’s hard to have confidence that I could get it and even now we’ve exceeded expectations.

“I’ve got over 60 previously but it’s been an amazing season, it’s been so good for me, I’ve had a lot of luck and as much as anything a lot of nice horses.

“I’ve got a great set up at Warwick Farm and a really good team behind me.”

Among those 75 winners are two Group 1s on the biggest stage in the autumn - Arapaho's Sydney Cup and Stefi Magnetica's Doncaster Mile.

Baker will carry the hopes of punters at Gosford with Raikkonen resuming in the Railway Hotel Handicap (1200m), the final race of the day, and he's a horse the trainer says is all upside.

He does have a small word of caution given the gelding has been problematic in the barriers, which was evident in his Group 3 failure as favourite before a spell.

With no signs of that in his two trials, over 900m and 1207m, he said Raikkonen, $2.70 with TAB on Thursday, will be competitive with improvement to come.

“I think he’s in good order. I think he is a horse that will probably benefit from a run or two but in saying that we’ve tried to have him more forward than he was first-up last time,’’ he said.

“He’s had a good base and that good preparation under his belt. He’s definitely a horse of promise, he’s got a good temperament.

“He can be a little tricky in the gates, that’s what happened at the end of last preparation. He’s such a big horse and he doesn’t always get out cleanly, he’s been good in his trials and hopefully he can get away with it.”

The Coast was an option for in-form mare Yankee One but Baker was happy to keep her down in grade in the Polvin Fencing Systems Handicap (1600m).

Yankee One has won three of her four starts since joining the stable and comes off successive 1400m wins, the latest at Randwick two weeks ago.

“They went really quick up front and she got to them with ease but was probably getting a little tired late,’’ he said.

“She gets a couple of kilos off (with apprentice Anna Roper) from gate one and she gets through wet tracks okay. She’s been a revelation, she’s a nice horse and come on very well.”

A new addition to the Baker stable is three-year-old filly Winning Proposal and he’s hopeful he can get her back to the form she was showing this time last year.

She hasn’t raced since finishing last in the Inglis Sprint at Flemington on March 1 and Baker said the Triple M Thunder Thousand (1000m) should see her run well.

Raikkonen runs second in a Warwick Farm trial on April 17

“She’s a nice filly and she trialled on Monday and was pretty good behind Schwarz,’’ he said.

“She’s shown us a fair bit and tends to get through a wet track, it’s a good kick off point for her in a $200,000 race.

“I’m lucky enough to get a readymade horse, she has ability and she’s done everything pretty well at this stage.”

All the fields, form and replays for Saturday’s Gosford meeting